The show also makes questionable use of some stats, maybe choosing WHIP in lieu of ERA, which is a good first step, but it would be even better to use something like FIP since WHIP relies upon hits, which are largely out of a pitcher’s control. At one point, to illustrate Citi Field’s pitcher-friendly proclivity, the best parks in terms of HR/FB—which will be heavily influenced by the home team—were displayed as opposed to actual home-run park factors.
Despite having some things like this that will make a hardcore sabermetric follower raise an eyebrow, what I really like is that Kenny is constantly looking to improve and to learn more. We’ve exchanged a few e-mails since the show debuted, and when I raise points like these, he’s appreciative and vows to work with his research team to get better. This may actually be the show’s greatest strength: a host who seeks out people who are knowledgeable about a subject, asks for—and is receptive to—criticism, and makes adjustments.
This part must be largely true because when comparing RoY candidates and breaking down the pitchers eligible, Kenny used FIP quite a lot. It was an excellent exercise in showing that traditional stats made Hellickson the obvious choice but that some kid in Seattle (Pineda??) when using FIP made an excellent case for AL RoY.
It was shortly after that when I demanded something be shown in wins and ERA before I started getting violent.
However, I think this illustrates that Kenney is taking the job seriously and is looking to keep the show moving forward as the author states here. I did notice that Kenney takes his time with each new stat he uses to describe (basically) what the stat is, how it's measured and why it's important. It can be a bit encumbering at times but I would imagine it's necessary in the early episodes of the show in order to introduce its audience to these new calculations.
Intriguing show.
